Prostate cancer: Specialized imaging could prevent unnecessary biopsies
An elevated PSA level in the blood may indicate prostate cancer but does not allow for a definitive diagnosis. Where there is a corresponding suspicion, a tissue sample is usually taken from the prostate. A study by the Medical University of Vienna now shows that a specialized form of imaging—known as PSMA-PET/CT—could provide important additional information even before such a biopsy is carried…
Prostate cancer diagnosis often relies on biopsies, which can be unnecessary. Elevated PSA levels may indicate cancer but cannot confirm it. To address this, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna studied a specialized imaging technique called PSMA-PET/CT. This method combines positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) to detect prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein abundant on prostate cancer cells.
In a retrospective analysis of 194 patients with elevated PSA and suspected prostate cancer, PSMA-PET/CT detected 91% of clinically significant cancers. In patients with normal scan results, the test correctly identified absence of cancer in 91% of cases. Over a median follow-up of 35 months, PSMA-PET/CT identified 23 out of 24 patients who later developed aggressive cancer.
The study suggests PSMA-PET/CT could help determine which patients need biopsies, potentially avoiding unnecessary procedures. Further research is needed to determine integration into routine diagnostics.
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